Chapter 4

There's no excuse. It's been 11 months. I've watched enough anime, played enough Pokémon games, and satiated what little sanity I had left. Not anymore.

Now… it's time to delve back into the abyss that is my imagination.

"Young man, I want you out of that bed and at it before I count down to zero!"

"Five more minutes, Mom? Please? Please?"

"Ten!"

"Thank you so much- "Delia called out again, an octave lower. "Nine."

She could hear the loud sound of footsteps descending down the stairs.

Delia stirred the broth carefully as she dunked the diced Tamato berries inside the pot and stirred. She slowed down and stopped just when the soup turned a beautiful, bright red. She let it simmer for a while and turned around.

Ash was trying to pull up his socks with one hand while tugging the right sleeve of his jacket with the other. The end result was miserable. Extremely miserable.

A knock was heard on the door, after which Serena popped her head in. "Bonjour, Mrs. Ketchum! Is Ash- "She merely stopped talking as she saw Ash and, for lack of a better word, admired him desperately learning the intricacies of putting clothes on.

Delia coughed for effect as Ash turned around obliviously and saw Serena waving a 'hi'. After an uncomfortably long silence, he said, "Nice weather, huh?"

Serena smiled and said, "I'll let you, erm, get back to…" She pointed at his, well, everything and walked back out, closing the door behind her. Outside, she let out a sigh and stared blankly at the object in her hands.

Barely two minutes later, Ash popped his head out and said, "Hey! Sorry I'm late. What is it?" Serena smiled wanly and showed him the thing she was holding.

A plane ticket to Kalos.

Ash groggily woke up from his dream. If only it were, he mused as he shook himself awake.

Kanto Safari Zone, Fuchsia City

Oak scratched his chin as he stared blankly into the lush, open fields of the Safari Zone. A fine sanctuary, he mused. I should visit here more often. Fresh air helps keeps me spirited.

Baoba, the old warden of the Safari Zone, entered the area as he said, "Aye, Professor Oak. Glad you could make it." Both men shook hands.

"Pleasure's all mine, Warden. Now… you mentioned a sighting of ultra-rare Pokémon in the Safari Zone?"

The old warden nodded thoughtfully. "Aye, yes, I did." He took three photos out of his pocket. Oak glanced at each of them furtively. The warden spoke. "These were taken near the Secret House; inside the chimney, near the lake and between the trees."

"Exquisite. When were they taken?"

"Yesterday. I couldn't call right away, due to… erm, unfortunate circumstances."

"You're sure they're still where they were?" The warden nodded his head affirmatively.

Oak's Laboratory A few hours later…

Oak looked at his laboratory. Sure, it wasn't state-of-the-art, but it was nothing to scoff at. He preferred his surroundings painted white, along with the tiles as well. A blank space helps me think better, I suppose.

He found a chair to sit down on and thought to himself as Delia walked in, tablet in hand. He turned to face her and said, "Are the tests over?"

She nodded and booted the tablet. She began reading, "Bulbasaur is healthy. A little on the large side for its species. It appears to have a Sassy nature, receiving more bulk but being a little slower- and its size and nature make it rather slow. We can conclude that one of its parents was a Ferrothorn, because it has 2 moves learnt upon hatching that a normal Bulbasaur doesn't- Curse and Ingrain."

She continued. "Charmander is on the frailer side of its species. I presume it was hatched a little earlier than optimal. Nevertheless, it's healthy for the most part. It has a Hasty nature, giving it speed at the cost of defensive utility. One of its parents must have been an Aggron or a Duraludon. It learnt Metal Claw upon hatching."

Pausing to catch her breath, she began again. "Finally, Squirtle. There's no getting around it- it's probably the largest Squirtle ever recorded. It's the same size as a newly- evolved Wartortle. It has a Rash nature, which means it's primed for offensive usage. It had a parent Ludicolo, I'm assuming, since it learnt Fake Out upon hatching."

Oak nodded as he mused about the three Pokémon he had currently. "Uh, Professor, that's not all. These Pokémon have abilities never seen before on any others of their species."

Oak was interested. "Go on." Delia nodded. "I placed Bulbasaur under direct sunlight. While in the biome, it moved almost twice as fast. Even its core stimuli and response time seemed to be twice as fast. It could outrun most of the weaker Pokémon and was on par with a Pidgeot for about a third of a second."

"When I placed Charmander in the same biome and placed a practice dummy for Charmander to practice fighting with. The attacks landed were far stronger and had more force behind them, but Charmander seemed to be more tired than usual after it was done with every attack. Finally, I placed Squirtle under rainfall. In that biome, over time, Squirtle seemed healthier and healthier. The effects of attacks that other Pokémon landed seemed to vanish over time."

Oak nodded with finality as he said, "The only recorded abilities that match these are Chlorophyll, Solar Power and Rain Dish. Marvellous. They really are one-of-a-kind- "Delia shook her head. "I'm still not done, Professor. One of your aides was asked to check the possible places where the Pokémon hatched, for any signs of their parents. They found these odd gems nearby. Take a look."

Oak looked at the pictures on screen. The gems seemed to be mostly similar- a pale outer part with darker strands further inside and a pink core in the middle, in the shape of a DNA helix. The one found near Bulbasaur was a pale green hue with darker green and a pink core. Charmander's had an orange hue with a red-and-yellow core. Squirtle's, meanwhile, had a silver hue with a blue-and-brown core.

"Nothing. I've never seen these kinds of gems- or whatever they are- ever before, anywhere." Delia nodded and said, "In any case, they might be valuable artifacts. As such, the Pewter Museum has requested the gems for display and research."

Oak thought for a moment and asked Delia, "Say, isn't Ash looking for his first Pokémon partner?"

Kanto National Library

"Quiz me."

Ash groaned. "And this one makes five."

Gary smiled. "Hey, this is useful stuff, okay? After I'm done, I'll quiz you."

"I'd prefer learning out there somewhere rather than in here." He smiled as he handed Ash the book he was reading. Ash sighed and said, "What Pokémon does Bergmite evolve into, and how?"

Without missing a beat, Gary said, "Avalugg at Level 37." Inhaling, Ash asked again, "What is the best offensive moveset for an Arcanine?" Gary spoke, "Usually, Arcanine can run an Adamant or a Jolly nature depending on whether power or speed is more important, with a Life Orb to boost power while maximizing the efficiency of all 4 moves used. Flash Fire and Justified are equally good options, to maximize the damage of Fire-type moves or raise its Attack by taking hits from Dark-type moves. Flare Blitz and Extreme Speed are good options for a solid Fire-type attack and a finishing blow. Wild Charge is also an option to take out Water types, with Close Combat or Stomping Tantrum to take out Rock types. Alternatively, the set can use Intimidate to lower the opponent's power and keep some Leftovers to passively offset the recoil damage."

Ash closed the book and said, "It's official. You are the author of this book." Gary laughed and said, "Okay, okay, my turn. What moveset would you suggest for a defensive Aggron?"

Ash thought for a while and said, "Run Heavy Metal to increase weight or Sturdy to survive a strong hit. Maybe a Sassy nature, to slightly increase Special Defense. Speed isn't Aggron's style, so a loss there isn't a very big impact on its usage. Heavy Slam or Gyro Ball depending on whether the opponent is lighter or faster- usually both, but that's not important. Stealth Rock is good to set up hazards to chip away at the opponent every time they enter. Protect is good, but only if you pair it with Toxic or another status ailment. If you're running Sturdy, I suggest Metal Burst in the final move slot, so a super-effective or a critical attack doesn't take down Aggron and it can fire back with double damage."

Gary eyed the book once more. Way off, but from any reasonable perspective, this set would completely take any unassuming opponent for a ride.

Gary put the book down and went to grab something else when his phone rang. "Hey. Gary here. Oh. Hey, Gramps."

He walked over to the shelves to put the book back. "All the way in Fuchsia? What were you doing there?" He nodded. "The Safari Zone? Cool beans. What'd you find?"

"Back up for a second. What? No way. You're kidding." He took a deep breath.

"Alright. I'll be there."

A nervous Ash stepped up to the table where the three Pokeballs lay. He took a deep breath as Oak's advice flashed through his eyes, like a dialogue box in a game.

Gary waited a few steps behind him, breath bated.

To his left was Bulbasaur. A gentle Pokémon and a perfect companion for beginners.

To his right was Squirtle. A fine choice, one worth raising.

And right in front of him… Charmander.

He stretched his hand out and picked up the Pokeball, the top half shining a bright red hue under the light's glow.

"I choose you… Charmander!"

Decided to make this one far shorter than the other chapters I usually tend to make, don't know why.

And with that, we have reached the end of the first saga- The Prologue Arc (I'll think of a better name sorry). The next chapter will be out ASAP (the same sentence I used the last two times, and we know how that ended lol)

Anyway, the sun is a deadly laser, so stay hydrated.

EdgyNickname